News Briefs

Not only are electric buses cleaner and healthier than their diesel-powered predecessors, according to an Oct. 30 report by U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America Research & Policy Center, transit agencies and school districts also have affordable options to adopt them. These include municipal bonds and certain taxation methods, in addition to the lifetime fuel and maintenance savings of electric school buses, which the report estimates to be around $170,000 per bus.

“Each day, millions of Americans, and millions of our children, get on diesel-powered buses that emit toxic fumes that make them sick,” said Matt Casale, director of our national network's transportation campaign. “We have a better option: the zero-tailpipe emission, all-electric bus. We all deserve cleaner air.”

The report recommends that transit agencies and school districts commit to transitioning their fleets from diesel to all-electric by 2030, and implement a plan to phase out the purchase of new diesel buses immediately.